Des Allemands family finds new mission after storm strikes Guatemala

A girl carries her sister on her back in Guatemala while getting assistance after Tropical Storm Agatha.

Laura McKnightStaff Writer

Published: Sunday, June 6, 2010 at 6:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, June 5, 2010 at 11:45 p.m.

THIBODAUX — Vanessa Robichaux of Des Allemands and her three children arrived in Guatemala May 26 to distribute school supplies, set up a reading center, work at a preschool, visit an orphanage and help at a church.

But the next day, the Pacaya volcano, near Guatemala City, started erupting.

Two days after that, Tropical Storm Agatha dumped massive rains on Guatemala and neighboring countries, killing more than 150 Central Americans, destroying homes and creating a giant sinkhole in Guatemala City.

Now, Robichaux’s planned projects are on hold as she instead helps Guatemalans with a familiar ordeal: hurricane recovery.

“Reports of dead are ringing through the streets and information on mudslides, flooding, loss of homes are heartbreaking to hear,” writes Robichaux in a blog entry dated May 29. “As my kids awake, I go out to assess the damage and my worse fears are confirmed. An area of great beauty is now covered in devastation. Many walk the streets with looks of shock upon their faces.”

Robichaux, 31, and her three children, ages 12, 4 and 3, visit Guatemala regularly. Robichaux and her husband, Lee, who joins her on trips when possible, started providing aid there after adopting their 4-year-old daughter, Arianna, from Guatemala when she was 10 months old.

Vanessa Robichaux typically travels to Guatemala at least twice a year, once at Christmas and again in the early summer, often with her children in tow.

Lee Robichaux, 34, who works at Textron Marine and Land Systems in New Orleans, said he could not join his family on this trip due to a lack of vacation time. Lee, who keeps in touch with his wife mainly through e-mail, said his family came through the storm unscathed.

Vanessa and the children temporarily evacuated from their apartment in Panajachel to a church in the central part of the city, because a nearby river was raging, she said in an e-mail to The Courier.

Vanessa said initially, she was not as concerned as the locals about the storm, having experienced hurricanes in south Louisiana.

“That is, until I realized just how quickly things turn bad here,” she said.

Flooding and landslides have devastated the villages surrounding Panajachel, many of which are filled with Guatemala’s indigenous people, an especially vulnerable group who survive on as little as $3 a day, she said.

Robichaux said she visited a family with seven children whose home is coated in 20 inches of mud. Their clothing, beds, shoes and toys are gone.

“An already-poverty-stricken country is left in shambles with thousands of people homeless with no means to provide for themselves,” Robichaux writes in a letter seeking help. “Homes, crops, businesses, bridges, roads, etc. were destroyed and will take lots of recovery for this great nation. Many families are now housed in the streets with their children as they pray for the means to rebuild.”

The storm put most of Vanessa’s original projects on hold as heavy rains and landslides washed out roads and bridges needed to get to project sites.

Now, Vanessa said, she’s working with various organizations to distribute food and supplies to storm-affected areas.

The stay-at-home mom has also been raising money via the Internet to cover associated costs.

“As of this morning, I have generated enough funding to house 40 families who are living in the streets with their children in San Antonio Palopo,” she writes in a Saturday e-mail to The Courier.

<p>THIBODAUX — Vanessa Robichaux of Des Allemands and her three children arrived in Guatemala May 26 to distribute school supplies, set up a reading center, work at a preschool, visit an orphanage and help at a church.</p><p>But the next day, the Pacaya volcano, near Guatemala City, started erupting.</p><p>Two days after that, Tropical Storm Agatha dumped massive rains on Guatemala and neighboring countries, killing more than 150 Central Americans, destroying homes and creating a giant sinkhole in Guatemala City.</p><p>Now, Robichaux's planned projects are on hold as she instead helps Guatemalans with a familiar ordeal: hurricane recovery.</p><p>“Reports of dead are ringing through the streets and information on mudslides, flooding, loss of homes are heartbreaking to hear,” writes Robichaux in a blog entry dated May 29. “As my kids awake, I go out to assess the damage and my worse fears are confirmed. An area of great beauty is now covered in devastation. Many walk the streets with looks of shock upon their faces.”</p><p>Robichaux, 31, and her three children, ages 12, 4 and 3, visit Guatemala regularly. Robichaux and her husband, Lee, who joins her on trips when possible, started providing aid there after adopting their 4-year-old daughter, Arianna, from Guatemala when she was 10 months old.</p><p>Vanessa Robichaux typically travels to Guatemala at least twice a year, once at Christmas and again in the early summer, often with her children in tow.</p><p>Lee Robichaux, 34, who works at Textron Marine and Land Systems in New Orleans, said he could not join his family on this trip due to a lack of vacation time. Lee, who keeps in touch with his wife mainly through e-mail, said his family came through the storm unscathed. </p><p>Vanessa and the children temporarily evacuated from their apartment in Panajachel to a church in the central part of the city, because a nearby river was raging, she said in an e-mail to The Courier. </p><p>Vanessa said initially, she was not as concerned as the locals about the storm, having experienced hurricanes in south Louisiana.</p><p>“That is, until I realized just how quickly things turn bad here,” she said.</p><p>Flooding and landslides have devastated the villages surrounding Panajachel, many of which are filled with Guatemala's indigenous people, an especially vulnerable group who survive on as little as $3 a day, she said.</p><p>Robichaux said she visited a family with seven children whose home is coated in 20 inches of mud. Their clothing, beds, shoes and toys are gone.</p><p>“An already-poverty-stricken country is left in shambles with thousands of people homeless with no means to provide for themselves,” Robichaux writes in a letter seeking help. “Homes, crops, businesses, bridges, roads, etc. were destroyed and will take lots of recovery for this great nation. Many families are now housed in the streets with their children as they pray for the means to rebuild.”</p><p>The storm put most of Vanessa's original projects on hold as heavy rains and landslides washed out roads and bridges needed to get to project sites.</p><p>Now, Vanessa said, she's working with various organizations to distribute food and supplies to storm-affected areas. </p><p>The stay-at-home mom has also been raising money via the Internet to cover associated costs. </p><p>“As of this morning, I have generated enough funding to house 40 families who are living in the streets with their children in San Antonio Palopo,” she writes in a Saturday e-mail to The Courier.</p><p>Her son, Lee Robichaux Jr., 12, has also helped by clearing debris, Lee Sr. said.</p><p>“He's kind of excited because he gets to go out every day and help them move wood and all,” he said.</p><p>Their daughters, Arianna and 3-year-old Olivia, stay at a local preschool while their mother and brother work. </p><p>Vanessa originally planned to leave Guatemala June 23, but now says she could be there until mid-July. </p><p>She continues collecting donations through her church and her blog, with all money going directly to helping those in need.</p><p>To donate, send checks made payable to Des Allemands Mennonite Church, P.O. Box 276, Des Allemands, LA 70030, or make an online payment via PayPal at Robichaux's blog, www.heart4children.blogspot.com.</p>